A Community Development District (CDD) fee isn’t like HOA dues, it’s a government assessment that repays the bonds a district issued to build the community’s roads, drainage, and amenities, and it shows up as its own line item on the property tax bill. Builder payment estimates don’t always separate it out clearly from the mortgage and HOA numbers, which makes it easy to underestimate what a home in a CDD community actually costs to carry.
This calculator shows the real cost, both what you’ll pay monthly while the bond is still being repaid, and what it drops to once that’s done. The debt service (bond) portion typically pays off over 20 to 30 years and then goes away; the operations and maintenance (O&M) portion continues for as long as the district exists.
How to use it
You’ll need two numbers off the property’s current CDD assessment notice or tax bill: the total annual CDD assessment, and how many years remain on the bond. Both are public record, and a seller or listing agent should be able to provide them, or you can look them up directly through the county property appraiser’s site.
If you also have the O&M-only portion, listed separately on most CDD assessment notices, enter it too. That’s what tells you the real long-term number: the cost that never goes away, even after the bond is fully repaid.
Florida CDD Fee Impact Calculator
See the real monthly and total cost of a Community Development District assessment, and what it drops to once the bond is paid off.
CDD assessments typically appear on the property tax bill as two components: debt service (the bond) and operations & maintenance. The debt service portion usually pays off over 20 to 30 years and then disappears; the O&M portion continues for as long as the district exists. Ask the seller or builder for the current assessment notice, it should break out both figures, rather than relying on a builder’s estimate that may only show the combined total. See buying a house in Florida, step by step for how CDDs fit into new-construction due diligence generally.
Why the debt service / O&M split matters
A builder or listing quoting only the combined total makes a new-construction CDD community look like a fixed, permanent cost. It isn’t, most of it eventually disappears. But comparing two communities on their current combined total alone can also mislead you the other way: a community with a smaller total but a much longer remaining bond term, or a higher O&M share, can cost more over time than one with a larger total but a bond close to payoff. Ask for the specific current assessment on any property you’re seriously considering, not just whether one exists.
For where CDD fees fit into the rest of the Florida buying process, see buying a house in Florida, step by step.
This calculator is for general informational purposes only and isn’t financial, legal, insurance, or tax advice — for guidance specific to your situation, talk to a licensed professional.